Garden Variety: A Novel 

Win a copy of Garden Variety by tagging a friend and also Christy @gardenerd1 and Jackie @GREENorgaincGardenPodcast with #gardenvarietybook  and you will be entered to win a copy of Garden Variety on the Fall equinox Thursday • September 22, 2022!

March 11, 2022

Back to tell us about her new book Garden Variety. Things I love that there's not just one main character, there is but there's great characters and Christy does such a great job of building community and the language and sentences are fantastic the way she describes garden events. You will

I garden here in Zone 10b, we used to be zone 9b but with climate change. I belonged to this community garden for 22 years and I was on the board for 20 of those years. I knew from my first season I needed to write a story about a community garden, there's so many things that go on, so I began tucking little stories away over the years.

3 books and a NOVEL

Originally I didn't want to write a garden book, and as you know I have 3 garden books, but Garden Variety is the way I wanted to write which is telling garden lessons through story. Took a long time, because it was my first novel, it started out in a different way. 

I love that you say it's my first because I can't wait to read the sequel and find out what happens to the other characters.

Lost Angelos has more than 120 community gardens and needs more of them. 60% or maybe more live in an apartment and community gardens are the solace that provides the space for those people.

I am an advocate for more gardens in any empty space.

Jackie asks where did you come up with the size because the beds are a really nice size in the story. They must be a composite of people you've met over the years.

The main character is Lizzy. She's a section rep. She brings people in, writes citations,

At first I was like citations? But then I realized how important they are.

Usually rules come about because of something that has caused a lot of damage. 

Lizzy brings in this new guy named Jared, who's sort of a surfer, handyman, a really nice guy but doesn't really know how to commit to anything, and is used to just sliding from one thing to the next wherever the wind sends him.

Mary who is the president.

Bernice who is her foe, who is also on the board who wants to be president.

Ned who is the garden master.

And some ancillary characters. An eclectic group of people. My goal was to make the characters as diverse as I could, it's called Garden Variety because gardens usually are.

I could see me being just like Jared in the beginning, and not even realizing there were rules or things I should or shouldn't do. 

I love how in the back you have all the garden tips, because in the beginning I was like I should be taking notes and writing all this down. 10 take away garden lessons, small space garden tips for home and community gardens, a reading group guide.

It's great for book clubs, extra bonuses a little dose of non-fiction in a fiction setting. 

I do plan for this to be a trilogy, but I've had to set it down because of all the other stuff I have going on. 

Win a copy of Garden Variety by tagging a friend and also Christy @gardenerd1 and Jackie @GREENorgaincGardenPodcast with #gardenvarietybook  and you will be entered to win a copy of Garden Variety on the Fall equinox Thursday • September 22, 2022!

Full show notes coming soon!

True Leaf Market is wanting to sponsor the GREEN Organic Garden Podcast and is giving a discount code for listeners to get 15% off cover crop seeds: GOG15.

• These codes all have the following characteristics:
• 15% off cover crop products. i.e. orders for other items besides our cover crops won’t receive a discount.
• Expires end of December • 2022
• Limit one use per customer.

Get Your Copy of the The Organic Oasis Guidebook!

Twelve Lessons designed to help you create an earth friendly landscape, some deep garden beds full of nutrient rich healthy food or perhaps even develop a natural market farm.

Get a copy on today printed in the USA from Amazon

The Organic Gardener Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com